Puck

“Unbounded Freedom by Rosemary Bechler is a new publication from Counterpoint to be launched in partnership with the London Book Fair on 29 September 2006.” The report is free, of course, because it’s under a Creative Commons license. Cool. Meanwhile, the British Library has published a Manifesto calling for the simplification of copyright and IP law in the digital age, as well as for reasonable and restrained statutory limitations.

review by Brian Charles Clark

Selected Poems by William Blake. Penguin. Paper. 304 pages. March, 2006. 5 stars.

William Blake wasn’t big on what we now call sound bytes, so he’s far from a widely quoted poet. For the pithy quote apropos of whatever situation is currently at hand we turn to Shakespeare, of course, but also John “for whom the bell tolls” Donne, John “soul-making” Keats, and the many others who savored the gnomic nugget. But that doesn’t mean Blake hasn’t had a lasting effect on us. It’s just been a very sneaky influence.

Without Blake the aforementioned Keats, and his big brother (in spirit) P.B. Shelley, and the rest of the Romantic posse, would not have been, or at least would not have been as high flying as they were. Away from England, that “green and pleasant land” (“Jerusalem”), there’s Walt Whitman who, like Blake, saw Mind (yes, the capital is required) as the “door of perception” (“The Marriage of Heaven and Hell”) that opens on to Heaven. Between the Romantics and Whitman there’s a tremendous momentum and that exploded in a burst of cultural energy—the likes of which we now living shall likely never see again—in the person of Allen Ginsberg.

Read the rest of this entry »

SoundExchange is a company charged with parceling out royalties to musicians. As Fred Wilhelms writes in today’s Counterpunch, SoundExchange “collects and distributes license fees for digital distribution of recordings; primarily satellite radio services and Internet streaming broadcasts (but NOT downloads). Over the years they have collected money for thousands of artists who don’t know about it.”

SoundExchange, according to Wilhelms, has been bad about trying to find artists who are owed money. The reason? SoundExchange gets to keep the money if they can’t find the artist! Finally, though, SoundExchange has made public its list of “missing artists.” It’s an amazing list: how can it be they can’t find the well-known band Dinosaur Jr.? Or the great Japanese turntabalist, DJ Krush (whose many albums are out on the execrable Sony label)? Continuing with just the names under “D”, how can they not find Dishwalla, whose latest album, as far as I can tell, was released in 2005?

I’m not surprised SoundExchange can’t find Django Reinhardt–he’s been dead since 1953. Read the rest of this entry »

Bob’s island was being carried around on the back of a turtle. The turtle didn’t seem to mind, and moved real slow. The island sometimes experienced earthquakes, volcanoes and other natural disasters, but Bob didn’t think these were the turtle’s fault. Certainly not the tidal waves. The island was, after all, very big. It was bound to make waves, even slow as the turtle moved.

The above microstory can be translated, via Gizoogle, into Snoop speak: Sizzept. 19, 2006. Bob’s Island. Bob’s island was being carried around on tha back of a turtle. Drop it like its hot. The turtle didn’t seem ta mind, n moved real slow cuz its a pimp thang. The island sometizzles experienced earthquakes, volcanoes n nigga natural disasta, but Bob didn’t think these were tha turtle’s fault. Certainly not tha tidal waves fo’ real. The island was, pusha all, very big like this and like that and like this and uh. It was bound ta makes waves, even sliznow as tha turtle moved.

Noted small-press publisher David Memmott has resurrected his much-loved press, Wordcraft of Oregon, and has a gorgeous new web site.

American politics–like politics everywhere, I suppose–have long been known for the dirty tricks played by politicians and others. What we’ve been seeing in the past few years, though, is reminiscent of the voter intimidation and vote buying so popular in the 19th century. Mother Jones has a great write up of the shenanigans the rich and powerful have used to block citizens from voting. What’s become clear is that the United States is no longer–if it ever was–a republic (it never was a democracy). In a republic, citizens elect representatives. That’s not what’s been happening, though–not for a long time. Rather, the corporate oligarchy controls access to power. And it doesn’t even matter if the folks we vote to represent us are fairly elected: power has been stripped from the legislative branch by presidential fiat. As I see it, there’s only one option: a series of revolutions that dissolve the U.S. in favor of a few dozen (or more) new countries. For instance, Southern California would unite with Arizona to form a totalitarian country called Arid Zona. This new nation would be easily subdued by Pacifica, formed by Northern California and the coastal regions of Oregon and Washington. Easily subdued because Pacifica would be in control of Arid Zona’s water. The “united” States have never really been united. Let’s avoid a messy, violent divorce, and break up now. | I’ve just learned that folks from People for the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) will be on NOW talking about access to voting. PFAWF, please note, uses that ambiguous word “America,” an entity that stretches from the Aleutian Islands to Tierra del Fuego. Talk about exceptionalsim.